Hold government accountable

Jul. 26, 2013

Written by

Melissa Bilancini

It’s unsurprising that people choose to focus on Edward Snowden instead of the sheer enormity of the information he leaked. When you think about it, it’s really the only way to keep from facing the frightening reality of how pervasive government surveillance has become.

For years, many of us feared that we were sacrificing too much liberty on the altar of safety. Now those fears have been utterly confirmed. Our government and security apparatus continue to tell us that they know what’s best for us, that this is all for our own good. But the surveillance state has been unmasked and many Americans simply do not like what they see.

Focusing on the man who did the unmasking keeps us from remembering that, throughout our history, we would have remained blissfully ignorant of the many shady things our government does in our name were it not for similar “intelligence leaks.”

Likewise, focusing on this man’s failure to follow “protocol” keeps us from having to deal with the fact that many of these protocols are designed specifically to subvert any real attempt to hold the system accountable.

And calling him a traitor allows us to ignore the not-so-subtle difference between sharing information with the American public through the media and delivering information into the hands of the enemy.

For some, it is tempting to go down this path, but it is against our fundamental nature. Instinctively, Americans know that despite what we think about the messenger, the government must be held accountable for these revelations. We have learned the hard way that government in the shadows is a recipe for abuse of power.

In this area, Ohioans are ahead of the curve. Right now, while the federal government is spying on our cellphone calls, Ohio is poised to become the second state to require search warrants before allowing police to track our movements via cellular data. This piece of state legislation (Senate Bill 5) allows law enforcement to do its important work without disregarding our privacy rights, and it has been drafted and debated in the clear light of day.

Our government continues to use security as an excuse to grab more and more power. But more and more, we are realizing that if there is to be a real conversation about balancing liberty and security, it cannot be conducted in secret. We must all be a part of it.

Edward Snowden is just one small part of this conversation. Those who argue otherwise are those who stand to lose the most power and influence. If Snowden is apprehended he should have his day in court, a day that includes all of the constitutional rights guaranteed to an American citizen.

In the meantime, we all have our hands full. ⬛

Melissa Bilancini is policy coordinator for the American Civil Liberties Union of Ohio.